After conducting a surprise inspection of the GTB Hospital, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ordered the chief secretary to fill vacant posts for pharmacists within 10 days, while directing the health minister to organize training programs for government programs to inform them about ongoing government programs such as the provision of free surgery.

Kejriwal turned up at the hospital, speaking to different patients and visited the pharmacy, emergency ward, general ward, paediatrics ward and ultrasound department of the hospital. A government statement said that Kejriwal found “a shortage of ultrasound machines in the hospital…directed the Health minister to look into this issue.”

In spite of free medicines, the statement added that there were long queues at the hospital. “The CM ordered the Chief Secretary to take up the issue of filling up vacant posts of pharmacists on an urgent basis. He ordered that the vacant posts should be filled up within next 10 days so that the waiting time at the pharmacy counters is not more than 15 minutes. He also directed the CS to open more pharmacy counters the hospital.”

Another issue that came up was that doctors were giving “long dates for surgeries and operations”, some even being given dates three months away, it said. “The CM said that this was unacceptable as Delhi Government has already launched a scheme wherein if a patient is given operation date for more than one month, he will be referred to a private hospital immediately and all expenses will be borne by the Delhi Government. The CM directed the health Minister and CS to organise training for doctors for creating awareness about the scheme.”

“The Chief Minister also noted that there was a huge information gap in Government hospitals. Once in the OPD, many patients did not know where to go, which doctor to refer to for treatment, etc. For plugging this information gap, the CM felt that there was a need to appoint volunteers to guide the patients who visit the hospital,” it added.